A lease is the contract that governs a tenancy. It names the parties and the property, sets the term (start and end dates), the rent amount and due date, and the deposit, and it spells out responsibilities and rules — maintenance, utilities, pets, subletting, and what happens if either side breaks the terms.
A fixed-term lease runs for a set period (often a year); a month-to-month agreement renews until either party ends it with proper notice. Because required disclosures and permissible clauses vary by jurisdiction, landlords generally use a lease built for their state rather than a generic template.